Paper tray.



I PATBNTED JUNE 19, 1906. RB. DAVIDSON.-

PAPER TRAY.

APPLIGATION'IILED AUG.22,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

,PATENTED' JUNE 19, 1906. P; B. DAVIDSON.

PAPER TRAY., APPLICATION FILED AUG.22.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mmuw: a. 0mm co.,' Puumurnocmu m; WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES;

PATENT orricn.

FRANK B. DAVIDSON, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HOWE AND DAVIDSON COMPANY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A COR PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PAPER TRAY. l

hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

- This invention relates to improvements in trays or like receptacles made of paper or other flexible material and provided with a flat bottom and a rim surrounding said bottom, the invention relating more particu larly to that class of such trays in which the bottom and surrounding rim are made'or constructed of a single fiat piece, sheet, or blank.

The invention includes the blank from whilcfh such trays are made. as well as the tray itse The tray herein illustrated is especially applicable for usein packing candies and like merchandisein pails, and-when used in this manner the trays are filled and placed in a candy-pail one over the other, said trays thus serving as horizontal'separators or partitions by which the layers of candy in the pail are separately supported, Trays having the same features of construction herein-- after described may, however, be used for other purposes. i I

As shown in the accompanying drawings,

Figure '1 isa plan view of a cut and scored blankffrom which my improved tray is formed. Fig. 2-is aperspective view of the finished tray. Fig; 3 is a view of part of a blank, showing a modified 'construction'in the same. Fig; 4-is a sectionalview takenthrough the bottom of the'tray made from the blank shown in Fig. 3,'illustrating one of the setsof flaps when folded to make the rim as viewedjfrom the inner face of said rim. "Fig.

- 5 isa view .like Fig; -3, showing a blank slightly different fromthat shown inFigs. 1

and 3,; Fig.6 is a detail sectional view show-.

- ing-a part of the tray-rim maderirom the inner facethereof; Fig.7 is a view of partof blank-shown. in Fi 5 when-the flaps are folded and interloc ed as viewed from the l atented Jame 19, 1906.

a blank differing slightly from that shown the preceding figures.

As shownin said drawings, A, Fig. 1, desig- 5 5 nates a blank in fiat form from which my im proved tray is made. The blank is provided on its margin with a plurality of sets of marginal flaps which are symmetrically arranged and uniformly disposed about the margins of 6c the blank, the particular blank illustrated having four of such sets of flaps. It is to be understood, however, that more or less than four sets may be employed, if desired. Each set of flaps consists of five flaps-namely, a 6 5' center flap A, two intermediate flaps A A at either side of the center flap A, and two external flaps A A said flaps A A also co-= acting with and serving as the external flaps of adjacent like sets offiaps. The said flaps A A and A are separated from the central or body part of the blank which constitutes the bottom of the finished box by means of straight, score-lines a a and a arran ed at ri ht angles to radial lines of the blan and wiich are made of equal length and are arranged at equal distances radially from the center of the blank. The several flaps areadapted to be folded u wardly at right anlesto the body of the b ank along said scoreines to constitute the rim of the tray. Said score-lines being of equal length and arranged at uniform distances from the center of the blank, it follows that when the flaps are so folded upwardly alon said score-lines the bottom of the tray will ie substantially circular. The flaps 'A A are provided with strai ht lateral extensions A, which when the b ank is flat stand in line with each other the blank outsi e of the shorter flaps 2 A. Said intermediate'flaps A A are separated. from the extensions A of the flaps A fb ylines of severance extending from the ends of allel with the outer margins of the'said flaps A The-said intermediate flaps A are separated from the main or central flapA of the set by cuts or lines of severance'which extend outward from the meeting ends of the score- [00 lines a! and-0r and which are shown asradially-disposed, althoughthey need not neces-,. sarily .be radial. Said central flap A is,- moreover, made longer at its central, part. g

and project tangentially from the margm of go the score-lines a in a direction generally par; 9 5

than the other flaps or extends a greater dis tance radially from the center of the blank, so as to form an extension or tab a, which is preferably separated from the body of the flap by a transverse score-line a located at a distance from the score-line at equal to the Width of the rim. The central flap A is provided with a locking-slit a wln'ch in said Figs. 1 and 2 is shown as made of U form, while the ends of the projections A on the flaps A are provided with laterally and inwardly extending locking tongues a a, adapted to engage the locking-slit (i When the tray is to be set up or formed from the blank cut and scored in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the intermediate sections A A are bent upwardly at right angles to the bottom along the score-lines a a, the central flap A is then bent upwardly along the score-line a, and the flaps A A are then bent upwardly along the score-lines a a and their extensions A A are brought into overlapping relation with the flaps A and A and are secured to the central flap by inserting the lockingtongues a a in the locking-slit a It will be manifest from the above that when the flaps are folded upwardly and interlocked in the manner described a complete rim is formed on the bottom, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the interlocking connection of the ends of the extensions A A with the central flaps A preventing the spreading apart of the meeting ends of the extensions A A, and thereby holding or locking the parts of the rim in a manner to hold all of the flaps in a position at right angles to the bottom and to prevent any outward movement thereof under pressure which may come upon the inner surface of the rim, as by contact of the contents of the tray therewith. The tabs (14 when the central flaps are folded upwardly extend above the general line of the top of the rim iormed by the several flaps and constitute lifting-handles by which the tray may be lifted from its place in the pail or inserted therein, as clearly seen in the perspective view, Fig. 2. The score-lines a enable said tabs to be folded inwardly, as illustrated in the case of two of the flaps in Fig. 2, so that when the tray is placed in a pail the said tabs will not interfere with the placing of another tray in superposed relation thereto. The presence of the infolded tabs prevents a superposed tray from entering the top of a tray beneath it, or, in other words, said tabs when folded inwardly constitute supports for a superposed tray, preventing the latter from crushing the contents of the tray on which it rests. When the blank, as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with four sets of flaps, its exterior lines conform practically to a square figure, so that the blank may be cut from sheets of rectangular form with very little waste.

In the slightly-modified construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the parts are made generally in the same manner as hereinbefore described. In this instance the line of severance forming the external margins of the flaps A are not made in the form of straight continuations of the score-lines a", but are deflected or curved outwardly, as indicated at a from the meeting ends of the score-lines a and a), so that the said outer margin of the flaps A intersect the score-lines (L2 at the bases of the said flaps at angles much less acute than in the case of the construction shown in Fig. 1. This construction considerably facilitates the folding upwardly of said intermediate flaps A because making the narrower ends of the said flaps wider and therefore more rigid than in the construction shown in Fig. 1. In the construction shown in said Figs. 3 and 4, moreover, the central flap A instead of having a single locking-slit is provided near its ends with two separate locking-slits a a", while the extensions A of the flaps A are made correspondingly shorter and of such length that the lockingtongue a thereon will come into position to engage said slits a, a when the parts are brought into folded position, as shown in Fig. 4. The result obtained in the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so far as the interlocking of the flaps is concerned, is manifestly the same as that obtained by that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it being manifest that in all forms of device the extensions A A are held in place by theinterlocking engagement of the ends of said extensions A A with the central flap A.

I11 the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the same features of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are present; but the central flap A and the flaps A are made longer and the extensions A A wider, so as to make a deeper rim on the tray. The parts of said central flap A between the tabs a and the body of the flap are made narrower than the tab, and the locking-tongues a are cut from the parts of the sheet at the sides of said narrowed portion, while the said tab is formed from the corner portion of the sheet located between the ends of the extensions A A In the blank shown in Fig. 7 the parts are made generally as hereinbefore described. In this case the locking-tongues a on the extensions A project outwardly instead of inwardly, while the slit in the central tongue A is formed by a straight slit (1 and two inwardly-converging slits a a forming an outwardly-extending dovetail tongue. In this construction the inner margins of the lockingtongues a engage the ends of the main slit (1 and the free end of the tongue is adapted to be readily pressed inward with the finger, so that said locking-tongues may be readily engaged with said slit. Fig. 7 also illustrates a modified feature of construction in the flaps A A, which may be applied to any of the forms of the blankand. tray shown in the drawings. Said flaps A? A as shown in Fig. 7 are joined to the extensions A A and are separated or severedfrom the central part or body of the tray. Score-lines a a forming straight. extensions of the. score-lines a a separate the said flaps A A from the extensions- A A, and in setting up the tray the flaps A A are folded inwardly along the said score-lines a, 07, so as to overlap and rest upon the upper surface of the tray-bottom.

The general result obtained when the flaps A A are thus joined to theextensions A A is manifestly the same as when the said flaps A A are joined to the central part of the blank or tray-bottom.

I claim as my invention 1. A tray of substantlally circular outline -made of a single square sheet and comprising a flat bottom and four sets of marginal flaps, all of which are-folded upwardly from the bottom at right angles theretoon foldinglines of equal length which are equidistant from the center of the bottom and at right angles to radial lines thereof, each set embracing acentral flap located atone corner of the sheet, intermediate flaps adjacent to saidcentral flap at opposite sides thereof, and exterior flaps, each of which is-located at the center of one side of the sheet, and is provided with lateral straight extensions, which in the flat sheet extend outside of said intermediate flaps, and which in the completed tray are arranged in overlapping relation with the intermediate flaps andthe central flap and the ends of which are secured to and joinedby said central flap, so as to forma substantially continuous rim extending entirely around the said bottom. I

2.- A tray of substantially circular outline made of a single square sheet and comprising a flat bottom and four'sets of marginal flaps all of which are folded upwardly from the bottom at right angles thereto on folding lines of equallength which are equidistant from the center of the bottom and at right angles to radial lines thereof,'each set emfbracing a central flap located at one corner of the sheet, intermediate flaps adjacent to said central flaps at either side thereof, and exterior flaps, each of whichis located at the center of one side of the sheet and is provided with lateral straight extensions which in the flat sheet extend outside of said intermediate flaps, and which in the completed tray are arranged in overlapping relation withjthe in= termediate flaps and the central flap, the

ends of said straight extensions on the exterior flaps and the central flap being provided with slits and tongues by which said exten= sions may be interlocked with said central flaps, to constitute a substantially 'continw ous annular rimv extending entirely around said bottom.

3. A blankfor a tray which is substantially cated at the center of one of the straight sides of the blank and is provided with oppo-. sitely-projecting lateral extensions located outside of the said intermediate flaps and separatedfrom thesaid intermediate flaps by out .wardly-deflected lines of severance adapted to give considerable width to the narrower ends of said intermediate flaps. r

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my-invention I affix my signature, in pres- .75 flap, and exte'riorflaps each of which is 10-" ence of two witnesses, this 19th day of Au- I gust, A. D. 1904.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. IRELAND, MINA MASSEY. 1

FRANK B. DAVIDSON. 

